Of Clowns and Changes
by sangreal7
Summary: Will's Halloween party becomes the setting for some surprising revelations from JJ.  Written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum Challenge - Round 5 - CandyLand Challenge.


**A/N: This story is written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Fanfic Challenge 2010 – Round 5 – CandyLand Challenge.**

**Pairing: JJ/Rossi**

**Candy: Snickers**

**I apologize for the lateness of this submission, but the FF site has not been playing nice for the past few days, and I have been unable to post.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. I'm just playing a little :)**

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"A clown? '_Snickers, the Clown'_? Really?"

JJ tried not to let the slight disdain and doubt she felt color her voice, but she was pretty sure she had failed. It didn't seem to matter. Will was so excited about his idea for the perfect Halloween costume that he didn't notice anything amiss.

"Sure!" He said in that slow drawl of his. "It's a perfect costume!"

"I don't know." Now she knew she sounded doubtful. "I don't think Henry likes clowns very much."

"Nonsense, chere!" Will shrugged her concern off casually. "He's a kid. All kids like clowns."

He didn't want to hear another word about it.

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One week later, as she sat on the carpeted floor of the family room, JJ recalled that conversation and sighed sadly. Anyone watching Henry roll around on his play mat in his orange shirt and black shorts, happily taking apart the rest of his pumpkin costume would never guess how different his mood was not twenty minutes ago.

After changing into her genie costume and getting Henry into his pumpkin, JJ had headed downstairs to the living room, which had been cleared for the party. From the stairs, she could hear voices, music and laughter. It sounded like the party was in full swing. She had the time to wonder whether any of her friends had arrived as yet, and then they were at the foot of the stairs and turning into the roomful of people.

Spotting them, Will had headed straight over, a basket full of mini _'Snickers' _candy bars hanging from one hand. He had been handing them out to all the children, with the result that there was a veritable army of Spidermen, pirates, fairies and princesses all clustered around him, laughing and clamoring for candy. There was no doubt that Will was good with children … so it was even more amazing that he didn't seem to know his own son.

For the almost two-year-old Henry had taken one look at his father's outlandish clown costume, complete with floppy shoes, garish painted white smile and big, red nose … and had released a scream that would not have been out of place in the cheesiest, tackiest Halloween B-movie.

Worse, Henry had screamed even louder when Will attempted to take the child from his mother's arms. JJ had time to wonder whether Will was drunk on attention or just being unbelievably dense before Henry's screams began to morph into full out panic, and her only recourse was to take the baby out of the room and away from the object of his fright.

So now she was missing the party as well. Surprisingly, JJ found she didn't mind that so much. She did mind that she was unable to spend time with her friends. Since leaving the BAU for the position in the DOD a little more than two months ago, she had hardly seen any of her former teammates, her little family.

When Will had raised the idea of a Halloween party for all the friends he had made in Virginia, JJ had at first been somewhat skeptical. She hadn't thought the time was really right for them to have a party. The more he outlined the idea however, the more she found herself warming to his plan. It was an afternoon party and included both adults and children, all in their Halloween costumes. The children's part would wind down around sunset, when their parents would then take them trick-or-treating. That would leave the adults without children to continue the party into the night.

JJ had looked forward to inviting her friends, and to being able to spend some time with them, hoping against hope that they would not be called away on case. They were lucky; there was no case and all of them, even Rossi, agreed to come. She hadn't even stayed at the party long enough to know if they were there.

Well, at least she knew now that Garcia and Morgan were there. Once Henry had begun to scream, JJ had seen nothing but her unhappy little boy. However, less than a minute after she had whisked him away to the family room to try to soothe him, they were joined by Garcia, resplendent in a Betty Boop costume, complete with black wig, and Morgan who made a typical pirate costume look even more rakish and decadent.

When, between JJ and Garcia, they had managed to calm Henry down, get him out of his pumpkin and settle him on the mat with his toy cars, JJ had shooed her friends back to the party, telling them to go have fun, and that she was sure she'd be back to join the party in no time. Garcia had glanced undecidedly between Morgan and JJ, before reluctantly agreeing to go back to the living room, helped in part by the knowing wink that JJ threw her way while Morgan was looking in Henry's direction.

Now however, it seemed that the party was not in her immediate future. Not if her little blond pumpkin had anything to say about it. A gentle suggestion that they go back to the other room was met with a decided response from Henry.

"No."

"Don't you want to play with the other children?" JJ tried to coax the little boy.

"No _yike_ cown!" Henry's answer, while lisped, was perfectly clear … and quite determined. He returned to driving his cars over the road design on the mat, contented to play quietly, once his mother was close by.

Leaning back against the cool wall, JJ allowed her mind to drift again. Keeping one eye on the little boy in front of her, she thought of how much things had changed in the last two months. It never failed to amaze her that the most staid, stable life could be turned upside down in the blink of an eye. It had happened to her over and over again … when she fell in love with Will, when she got pregnant with Henry, when she was pretty much forced to take the job at the DOD, and now life was throwing her for a loop _again_ …

Lost in thought, JJ barely heard the knock against the open doorway. She jumped slightly when the sound came again. Looking up, she met the calm, measured gaze of David Rossi.

"May I join you?" He was as unfailingly polite as always.

JJ favored her friend and former teammate with a slight grin as she waved him into the room.

"What? No costume?"

Rossi wore his usual jeans, coupled with a soft, dark blue, button down shirt, only the lack of a jacket differentiating his apparel from his normal work style. He was about to answer, when the small bundle of orange and black that was Henry toddled over to take in the new arrival.

"Oss." The baby looked up at him with an expression approaching satisfaction, before heading back to his cars. Rossi raised one surprised eyebrow at JJ, who laughed.

"Don't look at me! He started saying it ever since that day when Hotch babysat him and you went over to watch the game."

"That was over a month ago, JJ." Rossi looked doubtful. "How did he possibly remember that?"

Rossi had walked over to where JJ sat on the carpet. Patting the floor next to her, JJ laughed again as she answered, "Apparently you made an impression, because he's been talking about 'Oss' ever since then. If Hotch hadn't explained, I wouldn't have had a clue what he was talking about."

When he had lowered himself to the carpet next to her, Rossi asked quietly, his gaze on the child playing in front of them. "So what happened earlier? Garcia told me where you were when I arrived."

Her own gaze never leaving Henry either, JJ explained what had happened with Will's choice of costume.

Though he was trying not to judge, Rossi couldn't hold back the little sound of disgust at the other man's cluelessness. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, watching the little boy play, comfortable with each other, neither one needing to fill the space with words.

After a long moment, JJ finally spoke.

"He's leaving, you know."

"Why?"

"He wants to be 'home'. Apparently, that doesn't mean me and Henry anymore."

The last sentence came out very bitterly, and Rossi turned to look at the woman next to him. "I'm sorry, JJ."

"Me too." She sighed quietly. "This is his farewell party for all his friends. He's not making a big deal about it, but they know."

Rossi was silent. Instinctively, he understood that JJ needed to speak the words out loud. She didn't need help or advice, just a listening ear, and he was perfectly happy to provide one.

"You know what's funny?" JJ continued, turning to look at him.

"No, what?"

"It's funny that the very thing you think is the worst thing that could happen to you turns out to be a blessing in disguise."

Rossi looked at her in surprise, "I don't understand. Are you saying Will leaving is …"

He trailed off as JJ interrupted, "No. I don't mean that. Though we haven't been happy in a long time."

She paused for so long that Rossi wondered if she would continue at all, but just as he was about to speak, she continued.

"Two months ago, I thought that being forced to take the DOD job was the worst thing that could happen to me. But, guess what? Now I'm the one with the nine-to-five job and the stable lifestyle. Any judge would see that, so Henry stays with me."

Nodding his head, David Rossi could only silently agree that, yes, life was funny that way. Just when you thought that nothing would ever change, life had a way of throwing a pebble right into the middle of the pond. Who knew where the ripples could lead you.


End file.
